Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 19: How To Have Fun With 35 Grand, Part 1

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 19: How To Have Fun With 35 Grand, Part 1

Recently, Automationeers like us have reached a consensus that a post-markup price of $35,000 is the threshold at which a car can no longer be considered affordable. With this in mind, the creators of CSR have launched a new challenge which aims to discover how this modest budget can be utilized. Specifically, any cars entered in this highly open competition would require a trim year between 2013 and 2018 (as well as being currently on sale), have between 2 and 5 seats, not be a delivery or cargo vehicle (it was agreed beforehand that the car had to be competitive in at least one of several performance segments), and retail for between $17000 and $25000 without markups. In addition, it had to record a standing-start lap around either the Green Hell or Airfield Track faster than 8:30 and 1:25, respectively, and require premium unleaded petrol at most.

For the sake of sensibility, production units and engineering time for the engine and trim were all capped at 100 each, except for trim production units, which were raised to 150. The regulations also stipulated a maximum tyre profile of 35 at zero (in other words, normal) quality, a safety rating of >45 and a loudness rating of <60, as well as a maximum fuel consumption figure of <14L/100km, and no fiberglass bodywork, thus ensuring that each entry would have some semblance of civility in daily driving conditions. Also, each user could send only one car per company, and the presence of any sort of lore for the latter was highly recommended, though not actually required. Finally, all cars would undergo extensive road and track testing at a variety of venues.

Having read the rules and double-checked them, I set about building an entry. Contrary to expectations, I put light weight ahead of raw power, and to that end built a small mid-engined sports coupe with an all-alloy structure and engine. The resulting car, the Albury CMS-20, was powered by the most common performance car powerplant of the current era - a turbocharged 2.0-litre straight-four. However, it had been fettled and fine-tuned to deliver 300 horsepower, sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential.

Albury CMS-20T: An Australian Lightweight with a Turbo Punch

Given that Albury Motors, which has a performance car heritage stretching for a half-century, is an Australian manufacturer best known for front-engined, rear-drive, V8-powered muscle cars, the CMS-20 was a pleasant surprise. Lore-wise, however, it was a logical decision considering that, by 2017, it had been several years since its predecessor was axed. But I was not content with entering just one car, and I had to change my approach for my other entry. Ironically, it would turn out to be very similar in ethos to the rear-drive V8 beasts Albury is best known for.

Thus the Harris Nimrod 5.0 Coupe, assembled in Northamptonshire, England, was born, and it couldn't be more different from the Albury. With a normally-aspirated V8 up front driving the rear wheels (again via a six-speed manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential) it had a more brutish character, but with four seats and a suitably sized trunk. It was also heavier, but had 50% more power.

Harris Nimrod 5.0 Coupe: Big, Bold, British and Brutally Fast

The most surprising thing about it was that it could reach an incredibly high top speed, considering its weight - it could reach over 190 mph given enough room. And while the Albury was more than 25% cheaper than the Harris, it was nowhere near as practical. As such, unlike the Harris, it was strictly a weekend track toy rather than a daily driver. Nevertheless, they were designed to be highly effective in their intended roles.

With the description of the contest and my entrants for it out of the way, all that was left to do was simply wait for the test results... But they have been delayed for long enough to make me create a new post for those. In the meantime, stay tuned...

UPDATE: As planned, Part 2 of this post will be delayed until further notice due to unforeseen delays in the judging for the entries. It has not been cancelled yet, however.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 18: Yo-Yo Budgets

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 18: Yo-Yo Budgets

CSR has had a wide variety of themes and budgets since its inception. Yet over the past seven rounds, each round has consistently alternated between entry-level and high-end cars, with just one exception (CSR44) in that period; that round allowed for the submission of mid-range cars, and indeed many of the submitted entries were exactly that. So why has CSR been on a roller-coaster ride in terms of price lately?

The answer, surprisingly, lies in the basic premise of CSR. By design, it is meant to be a realistic depiction of what a car buyer goes through before purchasing a particular kind of car, from subcompacts to hypercars. Given that each sector has a different budget, going up and down the price spectrum repeatedly makes plenty of sense. The upshot is that any users participating in CSR have to calibrate their skills depending on the maximum post-markup price, engineering time and production unit limits; as such, anyone who does not will be out of their depth as soon as they try to step out of their comfort zone, and may even be disqualified for being over budget (although it is also possible, and quite common, for an entry to be rejected for being too cheap).

However, I have managed to adapt well enough over the past few rounds to deliver a highly competitive entry in each case. In fact, three of them - the Albury Crusader II 5.7 Touring from CSR47 in particular, as well as the SMG CK60 and Albury Pilbara XP6, ended up as finalists, although they were more average than I intended, to the point that they were outclassed by more capable entries. From the above experience, therefore, flexibility from round to round is a vital asset for any CSR entrant. So if you are faced with any Automation challenge that forces you to step out of your comfort zone, by all means consider the necessary steps that must be taken before taking the plunge, and if you choose to do so, be sensible with your budget as well as your engineering choices.

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 17: GrandTouring.Com

Confessions of an Automationeer, Part 17: GrandTouring.Com

While the UE4 version of Automation is being refined further, the previous Kee Engine version will remain in use for some time. As such, all community challenges continue to use it for now. To that end, CSR commenced its 47th installment, and in contrast to the previous round, which was all about building 2000 model year Kei cars for the Japanese market (itself the total opposite to the hulking great luxury SUVs featured in the round before that, in terms of both size and price), this latest challenge saw the entrants build fast, stylish and luxurious grand tourers in 1995, at a time when that particular sector was booming.

The cars had to be equipped with an automatic transmission, cost $55,000 with a 100% markup, and not be fitted with any parts that could not be mass-produced. With this in mind, I set about developing a suitable vehicle - and for the first time, I decided to adapt an existing model by creating a new trim. That car was the Albury Crusader II Touring, a plusher version of a wholly Australian-made two-seat sports car.

The Albury Crusader 5.7 Touring: For When You Have to Cross Continents Quickly And Comfortably

It was fitted with a more luxurious interior and a five-speed automatic gearbox (as stipulated by the rule set for this round), while the engine - a 5.7-litre pushrod V8 - was beefed up for improved reliability and performance. Revised suspension tuning - still with progressive springs and adaptive dampers, but nothing more complex than that - provided a more comfortable ride, while still retaining the sporty demeanor of other variants. Exterior changes were minimal: a more subdued metallic green exterior color, combined with a discreet lip spoiler on the rear, gave the car a more elegant appearance. Finally, additional quality points were used in certain trim components in an attempt to make the most of the budget I had to work with.

I chose the Crusader II out of respect for the brand's lore - before this round, Albury Motors had been represented only once in the history of CSR. To further justify my decision, I forewent the two test builds I made for this round - a hardtop coupe with an all-alloy quad-cam V8 and a convertible with a V12 - after realizing that they would be too heavy and unreliable to be as competitive as the Crusader could have been. The cost was, in fact, very similar in both cases, but otherwise it was not much of a concern.

With such a well-sorted package, it was no wonder that the Crusader passed the first round of cuts. However, anything with inadequate aesthetics, inappropriate mechanicals (such as a front-wheel drive configuration), or fitted with the wrong parts did not, especially if it looked and felt like it would be driven by a boy racer instead of a CEO. Also, cars which had been over budget, (in terms of cost, production units and/or engineering time) were immediately disqualified. One car was even rejected for being too fast, and another for looking too old! In fact, such were the demands of the customer that of the 27 cars submitted in CSR47, just 11 made the first cut; the Crusader was among them. From here on out, however, choosing a set of finalists, and eventually a winner, would be much more challenging.

Of the 11 finalists, one (the Wyvern) was immediately rejected for insufficient safety, leaving only ten cars. First to fall was the Crusader II, whose overhead-valve engine, though reliable, was simply outclassed by those found in other offerings. Next to go was the Erin Berlose, which simply had two more seats than was necessary. The Valiant, meanwhile, seemed to be a bit too fast for its own good. In addition to that, our client rejected the Sapphire and Eruption for excessive turbo lag - the boost came on too abruptly in both of these cars.

That left just five cars to consider. Of these, the first one to be cut was the Fleming Six, which felt rather dated - a deal-breaker for a man who prides himself on modernity. Surprisingly, the Spada 42 finished fourth; only the potential reliability concerns of its active suspension, and its bland styling, kept it from finishing any higher. Finally, the Ryujin and Vengeance were quickly dismissed for being too far under budget and having unusual styling, to say the least. And so, after a long, drawn-out process of elimination, there was only one car standing - the GBF Bellisa, whose quality, styling, and performance were all head and shoulders above the rest.

The GBF Bellisa, winner of CSR47. Belissima!

With the quest to find the definitive grand tourer of the 90s now over, it was time for me to relax... and make plans for the next round. What, then, will it be like? That's a question to be answered in a subsequent post.